Asda ditches 5p carrier bags and straws

Asda is to ditch single-use carrier bags in its stores by the end of the year in an effort to scale back on plastic.

The supermarket has also pledged to reduce the amount of plastic in its Own Brand products by 10 per cent over the next 12 months.

Unveiling a raft of measures the supermarket will introduce, Asda chief executive Roger Burnley said: “We will phase out single-use carrier bags during 2018 in favour of Bags for Life.”

He added Asda will continue to donate profits from these sturdier, reusable, bags to good causes.

Other changes include getting rid of the polystyrene boards used to protect pizza bases in favour of cardboard, which Asda says will eliminate 178 tonnes of plastic each year; and switching the 2.4 million plastic straws used in its cafes annually to paper. It also said replacing its coloured drinks bottles with clear plastic will lead to 500 tonnes more plastic being recycled every year.

Morrisons has taken similar steps in terms of plastic reduction, though has not gone as far as Asda. Last September the retailer began trialling the removal of singleuse 5p carrier bags from six of its stores. It has also vowed to scrap plastic drinking straws.